Technological advancements in the research and development of defibrillators have been the primary growth driver for the defibrillators market across Saudi Arabia. Integration of vernacular medical assistance that provides audio and video help to paramedics has completely revolutionized the Saudi Arabia defibrillators market. Earlier, with only English being the language used for medical assistance, only the skilled professionals could use defibrillators. However, the addition of local languages as made is possible for a lesser-skilled person to use AEDs or ALS in the case of sudden cardiac arrests (SCA) as well. This has resulted in an increased uptake of defibrillators in both public and private institutions.

Amongst the end users, hospitals held a dominant share in the overall market as ambulances are the first point of contact in case of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in out-of-hospital settings. Furthermore, hospitals, being the primary caregivers, have a high adoption rate of ALS defibrillators as they facilitate monitoring of various health parameters at the same time. During the forecast period, the hospitals segment in the Saudi Arabia defibrillators market will reach a valuation of US$37.6 mn, expanding at a CAGR of 7.5% between 2014 and 2020.

Vernacular Medical Assistance Wins Hearts of End Users

Technologically advanced defibrillators that provide audio and video medical assistance in Arabic languages have boosted the overall market in recent years. As these machines require highly-skilled persons to operate them safely, the integration of vernacular language has enabled less-skilled professionals to also use these machines in a non-hospital setup. Features such as voice assistance have further increased the uptake of defibrillators across Saudi Arabia.

Initiatives taken by public and private medical organizations to safeguard human life have also worked in favor of this market. For instance, the installation of AEDs in aircraft and in religious places to resuscitate pilgrims in case of emergencies has given this market a substantial boost in the past few years.

Poor Regulatory Framework Hampers Market Growth

The lack of government interventions and supportive regulatory framework has hampered the sales of defibrillators across Saudi Arabia. The market is also being restrained by the poor collaboration between the public and private enterprises to raise awareness about defibrillators. Analysts predict that poor knowledge amongst overall population about sudden cardiac arrest and the importance of defibrillator and CPR has largely discouraged the overall market.

The expensive import duty that public hospitals, as well as private units, have to pay to own defibrillators has created a negative impact on the overall market. Furthermore, lack of interaction with the consumers and the poor branding and awareness campaigns are further dissuading the market growth.